Folk Hero

Folk Hero

I am relieved that the Jets escaped Miami with a win, but they may have lost the most important player on their team. Rumors are that Darelle Revis may have torn his ACL, and is feared to be lost for the season.  In a game that saw mistakes on both sides of the ball, the most crucial one was by new Dolphins coach Pat Philbin. After Dan Carpenter missed a 48-yard field goal to win the game, Nick Folk was set to kick a 33 yarder to give the Jets the win. Miami blocked the kick and regained possession...... wait a second..... Philbin called a timeout to try and "ice" Folk, so that field goal try was negated. When it counted Folk made the kick to send the Jets to 2-1 before a meeting with the 49ers. It is better to win ugly than lose pretty, and the Jets got lucky on Sunday.

Offense

C-

While I'm not here to be a Mark Sanchez apologist, he had a bad game, but you can't place all the offensive woes on the quarterback. Mark was 21/45 for 306 yards a touchdown and two interceptions, but he really never looked comfortable from the start of the game. The Dolphins were getting constant pressure throughout the game, sacking him once, but hitting him 7 times. Sanchez's numbers weren't helped by the fact that our receivers dropped a handful of balls. Also, Mark's safety blanket Dustin Keller hasn't played due to a hamstring injury.

Watching the game there were more than a few times where our receivers are bunched up together. I'm not sure if that is bad playcalling or a receiver not knowing which route to run. Sanchez's first interception was caused by a bad route run by Clyde Gates. His second pick in the end zone is just one of those hair-pulling throws he makes on a too regular basis. Add in the fact that Miami dropped an easy interception when he threw the ball while getting sacked late in the fourth quarter.

I have to give credit when it's due, and Santonio Holmes had probably one of his best games as a Jet. Holmes caught 9 passes for 147 yards (and also drew two pass interference calls), including a 38 yard completion in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal. Jeremy Kerley had his third score of the season, catching two balls for 73 yards. Meanwhile rookie Stephen Hill was kept off of the stat sheet for the second straight game, dropping a couple passes before getting injured in the second half. The rushing game was non-existent again.We had 33 carries for 88 yards.

You have my word that this is the last time I will talk about Tim Tebow, until his role in the offense changes significantly. He has been overhyped by the Jets front office, and they aren't using his unique skill set to help the team.  Yes, he did run a fake punt, and on a Mark Sanchez pass a ball hit him in the head (sabotage?), but it's just perplexing why we refuse to use him more. The Daily News' Bob Raissman brought up a good point that the Jets traded for Tim Tebow just to distract the media and fans from the fact that this just isn't a very good football team.

Defense

B-

The big story of the game on the defensive side of the ball is Darelle Revis' injury, which is the one thing the Jets couldn't have had happen. Rex's big bad defense just hasn't looked dominant this season. It drives me crazy to see mediocre running backs rumble through us for five yards a carry (The Jets have the 28th ranked run defense in the NFL). That shows a lack of intensity in our front seven. Our pass rush wasn't getting to Ryan Tannehill, and he had time to pick us apart. The Dolphins were 10-17 on third down conversions keeping our defense on the field. LaRon Landry made a game changing pick six to start the second half, and our defense forced a fumble on the Dolphins second drive of the third quarter. David Harris and Mo Wilkerson led the team with 9 tackles.

The defense has trouble closing games, and it is starting to become a worrying trend. After our offense took the lead with 3:01 left in the game the Dolphins marched down the field with a 12 play 48 yard drive that led to the game-tying field goal. They followed that up with an 8 play 60 yard drive, and if it wasn't for Dan Carpenter's missed field goal in overtime I'd be writing a totally different post this morning.

Special Teams

A

Once again, Mike Westhoff's unit was the lone bright spot on the team (except for a questionable call on Eric Smith when he ran into the punter costing the Jets potential points before halftime). Robert Mallone is looking really good, coffin cornering several punts. Nick Folk was a perfect 3/3 and on a day when the Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter struggled.

Around the AFC

The Patriots lose another game, and are under .500 for the first time in 9 years! This time, they blew a 9 point lead with 7:29 left in the fourth quarter. The Ravens took Rob Gronkowski out of the game, but Brady found Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker for a total of 250 yards. The game ended in controversy when Justin Tucker's 27 yard field goal as time expired went over the goal posts. The refs called the kick good, even as the Patriots were celebrating the "win". Bill Bellichick is going to get a nice fine for grabbing the ref at the end of the game. Torrey Smith put on an inspirational performance catching 6 passes for 127 yards following the death of his brother..... The Texans may be the real deal. They are the only AFC team to start 3-0, and beat an above average Broncos team. The shot Matt "Stump the" Schaub took was brutal, but he manned up and finished the game..... The Chargers were dismantled at home by the Falcons.  Phillip Rivers threw 2 interceptions and the returning Ryan Matthews coughed up a fumble..... Bills fans are holding their breath after CJ Spiller's shoulder injury. It's going to be a mad dash in fantasy leagues for Tashard Choice now...... Rutgers' Alumn (by the way, that was a huge win against Arkansas on Saturday and now they're ranked in the Top 25) the Bengals Mohamed Sanu started the game off with a bang by throwing the ball 73 yards to AJ Green. The Bengals defense leaves a lot to be desired, but the offense can keep up against most defenses.... The Jaguars looked like the Cardiac Cats again with an 80 yard TD pass to Cecil "Salute Your" Shorts to beat the Colts. MoJo was in midseason form running for 177 yards. As good as Andrew Luck is, you have to remember most of the guys around him went 1-15 last year..... The Raiders comeback against the Steelers was one of many games this week that killed suicide pools. Despite the Jets game, the Steelers are not the powerhouse they once were and injuries are slowly killing their season. 

Around the NFC

The Cardinals are 3-0, and the Saints are 0-3. That is all you need to know about the NFL this season... The Eagles were the next victim to the Cardinals hard hitting opportunistic defense. The Eagles' 12 turnovers through 3 games leads the NFL, and Vick has been sacked 9 times. A date with the Big Blue Wrecking Crew awaits the Iggles on Sunday Night, and you have to wonder if Vick is going to last until the end of the game...... Just like Jets fans, Cowboys fans are waking up this morning following an ugly win. The 'Boys were built to beat the Giants and haven't played with the same intensity that they did in the opening game..... The Lions look lost this season. The game with Tennessee was one of the craziest games in NFL history that saw the Titans score 21 points off of special teams and defense (Music City Miracle pt 2, a kick return for a TD, a fumble return for a TD), the Lions tie the game with a Hail Mary, and then Jim Schwartz going for and not converting on 4th and 1 in overtime on the Titans 6, when a field goal would have extended the game.... Just when you think you know everything the Football Gods prove you know nothing. The Vikings win against the 49ers proves that you can't take any game for granted, and any given Sunday any one team can beat any other team..... The Giants on Thursday just continues to prove that they are one of the most resilient teams in the league. No matter who gets injured their replacements find a way to get the job done. Carpenter missed 2 kicks that was even more impressive.